•)-:■? 



]\rr. K. Andorscn on Ilipposiderus caffer 



"Guinea" in the Berlin Museum (tio. BooO), referred by 

 liiui to the same species. On the basis of these two 

 specimens be Avrites : — (1) "Das Ori<;inal('xeni])lar zu der 

 Temniinck^scben Be.scbreibnn<; hat keineswci^s (be Bebaarun<^ 

 der Riickseite, Avie er sagt, b'bhuft rostroth, sonck-rn iiur die 

 Basis der Haare, wahrend der freie Theil dnnkclbrauu 

 erscheint, wie dieses aueb niir mit seiner Benennung 

 ' fuHginosa' (rauchbraun) zu vereinigen ist^' : (2) the length 

 of tlie forearm is 50 mm. : (8) the species has no frontal 

 sae. — But on closer examinatuMi these statements lose all 

 practical value. Whether H. fi/lit/inosus is red or brownish 

 does not^in taxonomicres])eet, matter much, since both cnlour- 

 phases occur in H. coffer ; the length of the forearm (50 mm.) 

 cannot have been taken on the type, for this latter is, as I shall 

 have to show later on, a much Lirg;()- hat, even markedly lar<j;er 

 than indicated by Teraminck ; the measurement was probably 

 taken by Peters on the Berlin specimen, and if so, this cannot 

 be a H. fuliginosus ; as to the absence of the frontal sac, a 

 statement which, in fact, is corr ct also for the mules of 

 fuliginosus, I fail to see from where Piters derives it ; he 

 cannot have taken this character from tlie type, which is a 

 female, and if he has based it on the Berlin specimen, we 

 cannot rely upon its con-ectness, for this latter e\a nple is 

 not afuliginosns, provided the measurement of the lorearm 

 is correct. Tliu*;, Peters does not add much to our knowledge 

 of the true fuliginosus. 



According to Dobson * H. fuliginosus may at once be 

 distinguished from H. coffer by the much larger thumb and 

 foot, by the different form of the cars, and es])ecially by the 

 absence of a distinct frontal glandular sac. Most of these 

 statements are true, but unfortunately Dobson himself 

 arouses our suspicion as to their correctness, for the following 

 reasons : — he gives as length of the forearm 1"95 (49 5 mm.), 

 which is very far below the true size; the figure of the head 

 (pi. ix. fig. ()) stated to be of a fuliginosus is undoubtedly 

 drawn from a H. cuffer ; and of the four specimens registered 

 by Dobsou under fuliginosus three {"a," which is a female, 

 not a male, " c," and " d'') are H. caffer, therefore in strong 

 contra'^t to his own description oi fnligitiosus, whereas the 

 fourth (" b/' a male, not a female) differs so widely from the 

 other three specimens that I do not understand how Dobson 

 could put them all under one heading. 



So far the literature on tl;e subj( ct. Subsequent authors 



* G. E. Dobson, Cat. CLir. Brit. Mu5. pp. 1:39-140, pi. ix. fig. 6; 

 London, 1878. 



